


Stay Frosty

by PizzaHorse



Series: Cassunzel Waitress!AU [2]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Diners, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Cassunzel - Waitress AU, Developing Friendships, Diners, F/F, Fear, Feelings, Female Friendship, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Talking, Trapped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:42:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22948000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PizzaHorse/pseuds/PizzaHorse
Summary: A simple mistake turns into a dangerous nightmare.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Series: Cassunzel Waitress!AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639639
Comments: 14
Kudos: 68





	Stay Frosty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The Cassunzel Server](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+Cassunzel+Server).



It was late at the Sundrop Diner and Cassandra and Rapunzel were finishing up alone. Scrubbing tables, wiping booths, and preparing the kitchen for the morning staff. The front door was locked and most of the lights were off, signaling that the restaurant was closed for the evening.

"Hey, Rapunzel, can you help me in the back?" Cassandra called over the counter to where the manager was washing the front windows.

"Sure!" she called, cheerfully. Even at such a late hour, her enthusiasm could not be curbed. She followed Cassandra dutifully into the kitchen, to the walk-in freezer near the back.

"I just need you to hold the door while I grab something."

"Alright," she stood, halfway in the large freezer, watching as Cassandra moved towards the back, reading the various labels as she tried to find what she needed.

She stretched up, slowly pulling a box forward from a top shelf that she was barely able to reach. She inched it forward carefully, until a second box on top that she hadn't noticed came crashing down.

"Woah!" Cassandra cried out as it missed her head by inches, slamming to the floor behind her as she held up the first box to keep it from falling, too. It split open, scattering plastic wrapped fish across the floor. She huffed, rolling her eyes at whoever had haphazardly stacked the packages. She pulled down the first box, setting it on an empty space on the shelf in front of her. But when she turned around to clean up the mess, she came face to face with sparkling green eyes. There was Rapunzel, earnestly holding up the damaged box.

Cassndra looked towards the large metal door, then back at Rapunzel, pushing down the panic that immediately sprang up inside her. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions.

"...did you let go of the door?"

"Yes, why?"

"Oh my god," she sprinted towards the door, trying desperately to pry it open, hoping maybe it hadn't latched all the way. She fidgeted with the mechanism on the inside, which hadn't worked in months. Maybe she'd get lucky and it would miraculously open. But she wasn't that lucky.

"Cassandra? What's the matter?"

She groaned. "We can't open the door."

"Oh," Rapunzel stared at the solid entry point, the gravity of the situation having not yet registered. "I didn't know that."

Cassandra whirled on her. "What do you mean you didn't know? You're the manager! The door only opens from the outside!"

"My dad didn't mention it."

"That's so typical of him! First he won't fix the freezer and then he forgets to tell you about it."

"I'm sure he meant to get it fixed-"

"I told you to hold the door!"

"I didn't know that was the reason!"

Cassandra turned away, pounding on the door with her fists. "Help! Anyone out there! Hey! Help us!" she listened, knowing it was in vain. They were the only two on shift tonight. Rapunzel knew it too.

"What do we do?" she finally set the box down on the ground, their errand much less important now.

Cassandra let out a long, slow, frustrated sigh, slamming her fist against the door one last time.

"Try to stay warm until someone finds us."

Neither of them were dressed to survive in -10° degrees, but Rapunzel even less so. With her barely knee-length skirt, short sleeves, and open-toed shoes, she looked more ready for a summer picnic than freezing temperatures.

She was already shivering, rubbing her arms with her hands and curling into herself to try to preserve the last traces of warmth from the outside.

"Here," Cassandra removed her hoodie, wrapping it around her bare arms. It wasn't a standard part of their uniform, but she'd slipped it on after closing while she finished her duties. Now she was glad she had.

"W-What about y-you?" she accepted the jacket, zipping it up and putting the hood over her head.

Cassandra could feel the heat rapidly being zapped from her own body, despite her long sleeves, pants, and sneakers. She was slightly more prepared, though not by much. It would be hours before anyone else who worked there would be in to the restaurant, and there was no way out.

"Give me your apron," she deflected the question, instead focusing on trying to bundle Rapunzel better. She already had her own apron off, and was awkwardly wrapping it around one of Rapunzel's legs, trying to insulate as much exposed skin as possible. Rapunzel handed down her own apron, and Cassandra wrapped the other leg. They weren't entirely covered, but it was the best she could do short of handing her her own pants.

"Cover your h-hands," she stood up, shoving her own in her pockets. She watched Rapunzel follow suit; luckily her chosen skirt of the day had pockets too. She breathed out, the air fogging as she exhaled. She had started shivering, too, which was good for keeping warm but not great for conserving energy.

She moved to the back of the freezer, pulling out some flattened boxes from behind a shelf. Good thing they'd avoided recycling for awhile and opted to shoved the cardboard in a corner instead. She set it on the ground by the door, sitting down and removing her shoes, then her socks, setting the clothing next to her.

"That's n-not g-g-going to f-fly if you want to k-keep all-all your t-toes," she indicated the open-toed sandals that Rapunzel always insisted on wearing as she slipped her sneakers back on.

Rapunzel nodded mutely, settling down next to Cassandra and doing what she suggested. Nothing about the situation was ideal, but Cassandra was being extremely considerate, given the circumstances. Rapunzel had been the one to let the door close, and yet, Cassandra had offered the clothes off her own back, the very things that could keep her comfortable, and more importantly, _alive_.

"W-we have to k-keep moving," she stood, helping Rapunzel to her feet once she'd finished. "Keep our circul-l-lation going a-and our energy up. If we s-s-stop we-" she glanced at Rapunzel, who looked utterly miserable already. "It's n-not good. We c-can't stop," she started to pace to demonstrate the importance of her words.

Rapunzel joined her, walking back and forth across the cold floor, a wire shelf full of foodstuffs separating them. It was quiet, except for the _click-clack_ of her own heels and the more pronounced _throp-throp_ of Cassandra's shoes. The air was thick with tension, and it wasn't long before Rapunzel could no longer bear the silence.

"I'm s-s-sorry, Cassandra. I didn't-didn't m-mean for this to ha-happen."

"I know you d-didn't," she said, bruskly.

Rapunzel heard her pace quicken. It was probably a wise idea to move as rapidly as possible, but she had a feeling Cassandra was using the movement to silently vent some of her frustrations. She couldn't blame her for being angry. She'd been given one simple task, and she couldn't even stay focused long enough to see it through. This could have all been avoided if she'd just _listened_.

Her legs felt cold and stiff, and she rubbed her hands against the limbs through her pockets, trying to transfer some traces of warmth. Something inside of her had hoped that by some miracle, someone would come and rescue them. She wasn't sure who, or how, but as the minutes ticked by, her optimism started to fade, and a wave of dread washed over her.

"C-C-Cassandra?"

"Yeah?"

"How l-long do you th-think we've been here?"

"I don't know. Prob-robably less than an h-hour."

"Oh."

The walk continued, and Rapunzel tried to think about something, _anything_ , outside of their current situation. She focused on her breathing, and the way her breaths already sounded strained and ragged. Not helpful. She thought of how tired she already felt. She wished she had a way to tell the time. It seemed to be moving agonizingly slow, but there was no real way to tell.

She transferred her attention to Cassandra, catching glimpses of her between boxes and packages and wire frames as they passed each other. She listened to the way her shoes slapped against the ground, still sounding steady and determined. Her own steps did not sound nearly as sure, and she felt her strength waning all too soon.

"C-C-Cassandra?"

"W-what?"

"I'm s-s-scared."

"What?" she stopped, glancing through the mass of bags and boxes to catch a glimpse of Rapunzel, who had also paused in her walk.

"W-w-what if no-no one f-f-finds us?"

"T-They will."

"What if n-n-no one finds us in t-time?"

"They-" she swallowed. She had been trying to avoid thinking of such things, and she hoped Rapunzel was as well, but the worry in her voice indicated that it was the only thing that had been on her mind. "-they will."


End file.
